P(s)olar thoughts...

All I've got to show for cardio since Monday has been a 30-minute session on the stepper yesterday. That's right, no cardio since Monday's 5K PB, though it hasn't felt like coming down to earth with a crash. Rather, I've just been feeling sluggish, a little under the weather, and taken what I perceive to be a necessary rest.

#35 yesterday was definitely one of the hardest to start. I had thought about going running, to see how I would manage with running in the cold weather, but a short walk outside made me rethink the whole thing. The combination of 4C weather and a not-100% runner with some undiscovered problems in the cold is not a good one. And if more seasoned cold runners than me found it challenging, what chance would I have? I chose to lay pride to one side.

I don't seem to get as hard a workout on my stepper, and yesterday was no exception. Despite doing whatever I could, the heart rate wouldn't go past 140bpm. Not mind-blowing, but at least it salvaged something and allowed me to move on with cardio without feeling guilty. One thing good about the stepper, though, is that I’ve been so conditioned to it, that stepping 30 minutes while staring at a blank wall doesn’t bother me one bit. I just concentrate on the watch and do 45s hard/15s easy repetitively.

Cold air bothers me. That’s what I suspect. When I get up in the mornings my throat is sore and dry. It’s alright after a while, but I must be careful about running in these conditions. I did some surfing on the net in the hope of finding something that would help. I’ve seen cyclists cover their mouths with some sort of protection, and that’s where I discovered heat-exchange masks by Psolar.

Apparently these masks trap some of the air you exhale to warm a unit in the mouthpiece, which subsequently warms the air you inhale, and the process is repeated. The reviews I read by people who had tested it were fairly positive on the heating system. (The only drawbacks appeared to be the fabric the masks were made of, which didn’t seem durable, and the fact that these things aren’t for sale in the UK.)

So running in these Psolar masks might help. The only thing, though – much as I am a “function over fashion” person (yes, Susan, I know your dog dresses better than me) – is this: Would you go running looking like that?


"Obi-wan has taught you well, young Jedi."
(fwooooh.......)